The biannual celebration of music known as Coffee House was an incredible success this fall. The event celebrated musicians who perform in larger groups on campus as well as those who dust off their instruments and take their talent to the stage for one or two nights a year. Coffee House provides students with a chance to display the wide range of their talents. Andrew Kaneb performed a beautiful classical piece, Fritz Kreisler’s “Prelude and Allegro,” only to be heard later that night playing fiddle in “Devil Went Down To Georgia” with a passion which captured the audience and drew their attention to the bow which skillfully flew across his fiddle. The event provides our musicians with an opportunity to be heard in ways they might not be heard in our orchestra, ensembles, or the B-Flats.
A truly remarkable part of the evening was the emergence of a voice that few, if any, expected to hear. Armin Thomas, a veteran of our orchestra and talented musician, revealed his great talents extend far beyond the piano. “How many of you have seen Step Brothers?” he asked as he walked out onto the stage. To those of us well versed in Will Ferrell’s angelic vocal rendition in that movie, this question foreshadowed what would soon be one of the most outstanding acts of the show. Armin then proceeded to give a beautiful rendition of “Con Te Partiro,” which shocked the audience and earned a standing ovation.
MCs Jake DeCaprio and Gabe Schmittlein led the night with an intoxicating energy. Their humor and enthusiasm kept the night moving smoothly from one performance to the next. The two could be seen performing themselves, even creating a little jingle to promote the ORBIS bake sale. The bake sale made another appearance when, during the final performance, Harrison Rohrer left the stage during his song, with money in hand, only to return with a cookie from outside.
The night was filled with incredible music and skilled musicians; unfortunately, there are too many to list. There are many ways to spend a Friday night, but sitting there, listening to Marshall Knight play “You Belong To Me,” I could not think of anywhere I would rather be. A huge thank you to everyone who helped put together such a fantastic event. Lastly, congratulations to all the musicians who performed at Coffee House.
